Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-02-11
Mr.. GRADY AND THE NEW SOUTH.
4 LETTER FROM JUDGE CHIRLES
u. DRfKE.
PROTEST AGAINST THE CHARGE
or NORTHERN WAR-HATRED.


WASHINGTON, Jan. 2G.-The fol-
lowing letter was written soon after
the New England Society dinner in
New York by ex.Cblef Justice
Charles ID. Drake Of the Court of
Claims, and sent to Mr.. Grady for
publication in his paper, The At
dntd Constitutions Not having APP.
peared IN that journal, it is kindly
furnished b, Judge Drake for pub
LEGATION in the New York Tribune :
VIZ. N. W. Grady:
have read with unusual inter
est and pleasure yOnr powerful and
eloquent speech at the New Eng
land dinner in New York, on the
ODD INST, and the pleasure would
have been quite unallOyed but for
its closing paragraph; which | can
notinduce myself pass unnoticed
for it is unjust. do not say that
Won so meant it, but, all the same,
it is unjust; and the Injustice onght
not to be allowed TO 60 unchalleng-
ed. After eloquentiy utterng your
"message" for the "indissoluble
union of American States and the
imperlshable brotherhood of the
American people," you go on in
these words:
What answer hes New England to this
message Will she permit the prejudice
of war to remain in the hearts Of the con
onerers. when it has died in the hearts of
the conquered Will she transmit this
prejudice to the next generation, that in
hearts which never felt the generous ardor
Of conflict il may perpetuate itselff Will
she withhold, save in strained courtesy,
the hand which, straight from his soldiers
heart Grant offered to Lee at Appomat-
toxl Will she make the vision of re-
stored and happy people, which gathered
above the couch Of your dying captain,
filling his heart with peace, touching his
lips with praise, and clarifying his path
10 the grave-will she make this vision,
on which the last sigh of his expiring soul
breathcd n benediction a cheat or delu-
sion ? If she does the South, never abject
in asking for comradeship, must accept
with dignity its refusal.
Mr.. Grady, 1t will hardly be dis
puted that, though these questions
we're addressed to New England,
they were meant for the entire
North. And | feel sure of your adj
hitting that, taken as a whole,
they are in effect an affirmation
that the North cherishes the "prej-
udice of war; to such an extent that
she withhoIds the hand of "cOm-
radeshlp" from the South, and
would "make the vision of re.
stored and happy people a cheat or
delusion.' And what means that
phrase, "preiudice of wa" 1t has
no sensible meaning there-.nO
meaning in fit proportion to the
idea advanced, if it does not import
disaffectiOn, enlargement, hOstili-
ty, or, condensing the whole into
one word, hatred hatred begotten
in and of the war, and grimly sur.
viving the lapse of nearly quarter
of century since the war ceased
to allllct our bleeding country. So
interpreting its meaning, protest,
in the name of all that is manly and
generous and true against the trend
and spirit of those questions, az
deeply unjust to the North. And
| say with emphasis that IN attnb.
uting to the North, or any part OF
it, that hatred, they are absolutely
untrue. As you have never, | be.
lievc, lived in the North, You are,
| suppose, not aware Of their I'M
truth; but nevertheless, were every
inhabitant Of the North questioned
under oath to-day, not one man in
five hundred could probably be
found who cherishes toward the
South any sentiment Of hate. If |
am right in this opinion, then 1t
follows tina: while you invoked the
"imperishable brotherhood of the
American people," you almost
blocked the way to that brother
hood in the South by enormously
holding the North up before the
Southern people as not only nursing
a war hatred toward the South, but
as intending that the hatred shall
not die out with the present gener-
alton. but shall be transmitted to
the next, and thence go on to "per-
petuate itself"
And when you 90 further, Mr..
Grady, and assert that the ''preju'
dice of war has "died in the hearts
OF the conquered" but "remains in
the hearts OF the cOnquerer," YOU
attribute to the North feeling
akin to brutal, and assign the
Northern people a position IN the
scale of humanity only a little above
that of the savage. Quite proba.
bly, the great mass of the Northern
people will rot notice the injustice
Won have done them; but beyond
doubt the South will see and appre-
ciate the skill with which you in.
voked Northern brotherhood, and
IN the same breath babe the South
remember that they had been Soon
quered,r and that at this late day
after the war their "conquerOrs"
hate them.
Mr.. Grady, let us calmly reason
together for a moment over this
"prejudice of war;" alias hatred,-
reason together like sensible men
and philosophers, honestly intend
ing to get at the truth. In the first
place, note three things,-that the
war ended nearly twenty-five years
ago; that about two-thirds OF the
people who lived during the war
are now dead and that the present
generation is mostly made up OF
people who were infants during the
war or were born after its close. In
the second place, note that about
one.half of the present generation
of men in the North are members of
the Democratic party, the ever
faithful ally of the South, and there
fore not to be charged with war.
hatred of the Southern people,
Hence it follows that your charge
is wholly aimed at the Republicans
of the North. Now ] ask you, Mr..
Crazy, as a thoughtful man and a
philosopher, why should Northern
Republicans, or any Northern men,
who we're in manhood during the